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    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Television»Drama
    Drama TV Shows - 1980s 4 Mins Read

    Hill Street Blues

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    1 9 8 1 – 1 9 8 7Β (USA)
    146 x 60 minute episodes

    Hill Street BluesΒ was a combination of drama and comedy about imperfect heroes who tried (and often failed) to uphold the law and hold their messy lives together. With gritty realism and an open-ended narrative style that wove storylines together,Β Hill StreetΒ paved the way for dramas likeΒ NYPD BlueΒ andΒ ER.

    Brought out by a fine troupe of actors, the continuing storylines of the show blended the drama and humour of life at Hill Street Police Station (located in the ghetto area of a large, unnamed East Coast US city) from 7:00 am roll call until the late night news.

    Captain Frank Furillo (Daniel J. Travanti) was the cool-headed commanding officer of the precinct who eventually married his girlfriend, Public Defender Joyce Davenport (Veronica Hamel), in March 1983. Frank had to cope with police bureaucracy and a chaotic personal life. Fay (Barbara Bosson), his ex-wife, was also constantly hounding him for more alimony.

    Among others in this popular cast were Officers Bobby Hill (Michael Warren) and Arnold Renko (Charles Haid) – originally meant to be killed off after the first episode – and officer Lucy BatesΒ (Betty Thomas from the Second CityΒ improvisational theatre troupe).

    hillstreetblues63

    Belker (Bruce Weitz) was a scruffy undercover detective who sometimes bit offenders and barked at startled dogs. To criminals, he was a terror (“Would you like to sit down, hairball or would you prefer internal bleeding?”).

    Henry Goldblume (Joe Spano) was the dedicated and idealistic community affairs officer who sometimes took the brutality he saw around him too serious. Howard Hunter (James Sikking) was the trigger-happy leader of the precinct’s S.W.A.T. team, ready to blast away at a moments notice.

    Tall, fatherly Phil Esterhaus (Michael Conrad), the head sergeant, provided a haven of calm in the storm. He ended each roll call with the same words, “And, hey – let’s be careful out there.”

    Esterhaus was killed off in 1983 (following the real-life death of actor Michael Conrad). He had been having a passionate affair with Grace Gardner (Barbara Babcock), the middle-aged widow of a fellow officer, and according to the story, he suffered a heart attack while making love to her.

    His replacement, Sgt Jablonski (Robert Prosky) ended his roll calls with “let’s do it to them before they do it to us”.

    In its second season,Β Hill Street BluesΒ won a record eight Emmy’s, and the theme tune, written by Mike Post, went to #10 on the US charts.

    Hill Street BluesΒ was a most unusual mixture of drama and comedy, fast-paced and deliberately choppy, as was life at the station house. Although the city in which the series took place was never mentioned, the real-life station house seen in exterior shots was the Maxwell Street Precinct in Chicago.

    Dennis Franz, whose character of Norman Buntz quit the police force in the final episode ofΒ Hill Street Blues, moved to a spin-off sitcom calledΒ Beverly Hill Buntz, with the abrasive Norman becoming a Private Detective in LA.

    Sgt Phil EsterhausΒ 
    Michael Conrad
    Capt Frank FurilloΒ 

    Daniel J. Travanti
    Officer Bobby HillΒ 

    Michael Warren
    Officer Andy RenkoΒ 

    Charles Haid
    Joyce DavenportΒ 

    Veronica Hamel
    Det. Mick BelkerΒ 

    Bruce Weitz
    Lt Ray CalletanoΒ 

    Rene Enriquez
    Det. Johnny ‘JD’Β LaRueΒ 

    Kiel Martin
    Det. Neal Washington

    Taurean Blacque
    Lt Howard HunterΒ 

    James Sikking
    Lt Henry GoldblumeΒ 

    Joe Spano
    Sgt Lucille BatesΒ 

    Betty Thomas
    Grace GardnerΒ 

    Barbara Babcock
    Fay FurilloΒ 

    Barbara Bosson
    Capt Jerry FuchsΒ 

    Vincent Lucchesi
    Det Lt Alf ChesleyΒ 

    Gerry Black
    Officer Leo SchnitzΒ 

    Robert Hirschfield
    Officer Joe CoffeyΒ 

    Ed Marinaro
    Officer Robin Tataglia

    Lisa Sutton
    Jesus MartinezΒ 

    Trinidad Silva
    Det Harry GaribaldiΒ 

    Ken Olin
    Det Patricia MayoΒ 

    Mimi Kuzyk
    Mayor Ozzie ClevelandΒ 

    J.A. Preston
    Sgt Stanislaus JablonskiΒ 

    Robert Prosky
    Lt Norman BuntzΒ 

    Dennis Franz
    Officer Patrick FlahertyΒ 

    Robert Clohessy
    Officer Tina RussoΒ 

    Megan Gallagher
    Officer RaymondΒ 

    David Selburg

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